Escape: More to St Tropez than just a tan

The Côte dAzur has got its fizz back in the shape of the new A-list hangout Les Caves du Roy. Neil MacLean bluffs his way past the door men

There’s a moment, at about 1.30am, when the lights drop, lasers spear the room, DJ Jack-E growls “Welcome back to St Tropez” and the hottest club in France suddenly explodes into life. That’s when you grab your glass off the table as every available surface is suddenly filled with overexcited dancers.Sit back and enjoy the spectacle or abandon your drink and join them.

Les Caves du Roy, in Hotel Byblos, has become a symbol of the resurgence of St Tropez. Until recently, the chic Riviera port had lost its allure, trading heavily on a glamorous, but increasingly stale, history of stars such as Brigitte Bardot and Elizabeth Taylor.

But in the past two years, a corps of contemporary musicians and celebrities have been drawn to this corner of the Côte d’Azur and the small fishing village in the Gulf of St Tropez has found itself back at the top of